The Washington critic., 1887-03-12
WASHINGTON, MARCH 70, 1887.
CONGRESS AND THE SURPLUS.

pay unnecessary and burdensome taxes,
rather than In the interest Of protected
industries which the people are taxed
10 support there seems to be a wide
diversity of opinion as TO the probable
excess of receipts over expenditures
between now and the nest regular
meeting Of Congress aul as TO the
effect upon the money market Of the
surplus thus accumulated.
The New York rorf r.limaies thu
morcy is nov pouring into the Trsts.
ufy at the rate ui +Ht' ono a month
In excess Of Tie needs pi tine Govern
ment, whil, the ,g,er... are steadily
Increasing aul Sowy Manning is
quoted rs having @,cutel, upon the
basis of an c..ua'rd expenditure
much larger thnu lhn appropriation
actually mwr, 'ht rise Surplus fer
next year woull 'a al.j u') coo.
\ "DemocfaIic Congressman" Is
quoted by The L,"H ns saying that
Something las got to be done as
soon as Congress assemblies, because
"long before ,ha, time unless the
President calls spring session, the
surplus revenue will be pilirg up In
the Treasury at Ike rate OF $5, GOO, 900 or
$4,000, 600 month, and perhaps more,
and the business of the country will 90
TO smash by reason of the contraction
and squeeze"
Upon the other hand, "a prominent
officer of the Treasury" informs the
Times that there Is no reason for ex.
pecting a financial panic; that the sur.
plus in August last was greater by
many millions than II Is now, when It
is only SEQ, 200, 600; that the excess of
receipts over disbursements during the
remainder of the year will not he 50
great as 1t was last year; that the sur.
plus will be reduced by bond calls to
about $40, 900, 900 in July, and that i'm
mediately thereafter the new appropria-
tions begin, on which large sums are to
be disbursed. The assumption of this
official is that the prospect of finan-
cial panic, resulting from stringency la
the money market, is "much less than
il was eight months ago."
Accepting the theory, however, that
serious embarrassments to business are
sure 10 result from continued aCcessions
TO the surplus, thus locking up mil
lions Of otherwise available capital,
what can Congress do in the mean
time to avert u slringency so near at
hard as to be almost tangible? What's
the use in talking about II prevention of
the surplus by reduction Of taxes,
when with the utmost diligence on The
part of Congress, even were 1t 10 meet
on the Is, OF May, 1t would be utterly
out Of the question to pass aud pat in
force the necessary lygt,la'inn in time
TO ward Off the disaster? Aud has 1t
never occurred 10 turse prophets Of
evil that the surcst way 10 disturb the
output OF capital and hroal. down bu,l.
ness confidence at Ibis particular tune
would be to s;lrt u G.S ligh, over the
tariff?
If the surplus is the sonrce Of so
great and Imminent peril, let Congress
come together and finish the work that
was left undonc by its predecessor; ar
range River and Harbor bill that the
President would not veto, thereby en-
suring that much relief; pass General
Deficiency bill, releasing Si,0O0,0OO to
$4,000, 600 at once; enact National
Defense bill that will set $4,000, ,0J0
more in motion, and make provision
for various other public needs that
were neglected or ignored at the recent
session.
Congress would have no difficulty in
SO curtailing the dimensions of the
surplus, In proper and necessary ways,
as TO allay all danger or apprehension
of monetary revulsion. As for the
tarifI-it Is question that has to be
handled cautiously and dealt with by
gradual approaches. Its revision must
be work Of time and grave considera.
lion and many compromises.
UNDER the bill restricting railway
traffic in Connecticut, which the Gov.
ernor has signed and which will GO
into effect June /, no more railroad
trains can be run in that State on Sun,
day, between the hours Of 1890 a. IN
and 3 p. m, excepting in cases Of
urgent necessity or mercy. The law
however, does not prohibit the runuiu.
Of United States mail trains before an,
after those hours How such Law
can be enforced without more or les
disturbance Of existing lhroug'
schedules does not appear, but Con-
neclicut has boldly taken the Issue AM
adjoining States viii have to come t
her terms. AS for the Sunday GXcIr
sion business, that, Of course, is Tee
totally inhibited
ANoEG the new members of the mex
House who are likely to move rapiil
10 the front as men Of uspfulnc5s aa
influence are * Senator BucHal.w o
Pennsylvania, Judge Hayes and ex
Governor Gear of Iowa, Amos j, Cum
mings of New York John a. McShan
of Nebraska, Leopold Morse Of Massa
chusetts, Jehu Baker of Illinois, an
Colonel L. w. Hooker Of Mississippi
Many others of the one hundred an
thirty new members are men Of recog
nized local ability, and the chances ar
that in point OF strength the Flftletl
Congress will be marked improve
ment on Its predecessor.
THE Democrats have made severa
unsuccessful endeayors to read Mr.
Randall out OF the ranks OF the Demo
rrafip partv md snw fha Ranuhlino n